Email & Form Submission Terms of Use

CONFIDENTIALITY, PRIVACY AND SECURITY

Metrovan Urology utilizes the SSL (Secure Socket Layer) protocol to receive forms and send email. However, we nor anyone else can guarantee the privacy and security of email as a form of communication. We recommend that you use secure email submission and to be aware of which parties may have a right to access your email. We discourage the use of email accounts provided by your employer to send confidential information of a personal or medical nature as they may be entitled to access the contents of your email.

Your information will not be shared with any outside party without your explicit, written permission. The content of your email may be entered into your electronic medical record in one form or another, either verbatim or in summary form.

PLEASE NOTE THAT METROVAN UROLOGY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SELECT THE MODE OF COMMUNICATION WITH THE PATIENT WHETHER BY PHONE, IN PERSON, BY EMAIL OR OTHER MEANS OF COMMUNICATION. EMAIL IS NOT INTENDED TO SUPPLANT THE TRADITIONAL FACE-TO-FACE INTERACTION BETWEEN A PHYSICIAN AND THEIR PATIENT, ESPECIALLY FOR DISCUSSIONS OF SENSITIVE INFORMATION. THERE SHOULD BE NO EXPECTATION ON THE PART OF THE USER THAT COMMUNICATION BY EMAIL IS A RIGHT OF THE PATIENT OR AN OBLIGATION ON THE PART OF THE PHYSICIAN. USE OF EMAIL IS GENERALLY RESTRICTED TO THE SCHEDULING OF APPOINTMENTS.

THE PHYSICIAN CANNOT GUARANTEE THAT ANY PARTICULAR EMAIL WILL BE READ AND RESPONDED TO WITHIN ANY PARTICULAR PERIOD OF TIME. THUS, THE PATIENT SHOULD NOT USE EMAIL FOR MEDICAL EMERGENCIES, IF PATIENT'S CONDITION APPEARS SERIOUS OR RAPIDLY WORSENS, OR OTHER TIME-SENSITIVE MATTERS.

BY SUBMISSION OF FORMS OR EMAIL TO METROVAN UROLOGY, THE USER ACKNOWEDGES THE TERMS OF USE OF THIS WEBSITE AND OUR POLICY ON THE SUBMISSION OF FORMS AND EMAIL. THE USER ASSUMES ALL RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH COMMUNICATION BY EMAIL.

The details of email use are taken from The Canadian Medical Protective Association (Revision June 2009)

RISKS OF USING EMAIL

The privacy and security of email cannot be guaranteed

Employers and online services may have a legal right to inspect and keep emails that pass through their system.

Email is easier to falsify than handwritten or signed hard copies. In addition, it is impossible to verify the true identity of the sender, or to ensure that only the recipient can read the email once it has been sent.

Emails can introduce viruses into a computer system, and potentially damage or disrupt the computer

Email can be forwarded, intercepted, circulated, stored or even changed without the knowledge or permission of the physician or the patient. Email senders can easily misaddress an email, resulting in it being sent to many unintended and unknown recipients.

Email is indelible. Even after the sender and recipient have deledted their copies of email, back-up copies may exist on a computer or in cyberspace.

Use of email to discuss sensitive information can increase the risk of such information being disclosed to third parties.

Email can be used as evidence in court.

CONDITIONS OF USING EMAIL

The physician will use reasonable means to protect the security and confidentiality of emailinformation sent and received. However, because of the risks outlined above, the physician cannot guarantee the security and confidentiality of email communication, and will not be liable for improper disclosure of confidential information that is not the direct result of intentional misconduct of the physician. Thus, patients must consent to the use of email for patient information. Consent to the use of email includes agreement with the following conditions:

Emails to or from the patient concerning diagnosis or treatment may be printed in full and made part of the patient’s medical record. Because they are part of the medical record, other individuals authorized to access the medical record, such as staff and billing personnel, will have access to those emails.

The physician may forward emails internally to the physician’s staff and to those involved, as necessary, for diagnosis, treatment, reimbursement, health care operations, and other handling. The physician will not, however, forward emails to independent third parties without the patient’s prior written consent, except as authorized or required by law.

Although the physician will endeavour to read and respond promptly to an email from the patient, the physician cannot guarantee that any particular email will be read and responded to within any particular period of time. Thus, the patient should not use email for medical emergencies or other time-sensitive matters.

Email communication is not an appropriate substitute for clinical examinations. The patient is responsible for following up on the physician’s email and for scheduling appointments where warranted.

If the patient’s email requires or invites a response from the physician and the patient has not received a response within a reasonable time period it is the patient’s responsibility to follow up to determine whether the intended recipient received the email and when the recipient will respond.

The patient should not use email for communication regarding sensitive medical information, such as sexually transmitted disease, AIDS/HIV, mental health, developmental disability, or substance abuse. Similarly, the physician will not discuss such matters over email

INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMMUNICATION BY EMAIL

To communicate by email, the patient shall:

Limit or avoid using an employer’s computer.

Inform the physician of any changes in patient’s email address.

Include in the email: the category of the communication in the email’s subject line, for routing purposes (e.g., ‘prescription renewal’); and the name of the patient in the body of the email.

Review the email to make sure it is clear and that all relevant information is provided before sending to the physician.

Inform the physician that the patient received the email.

Take precautions to preserve the confidentiality of emails, such as using screen savers and safeguarding computer passwords.

Withdraw consent only by email or written communication to the physician.

Should the patient require immediate assistance, or if the patient’s condition appears serious or rapidly worsens, the patient should not rely on email. Rather, the patient should call the physician’s office for consultation or an appointment, visit the physician’s office or take other measures as appropriate.